I Became a Childhood Friend of the Middle Boss

Chapter 27

Courage

By the time the evaluation battle had ended, it was well past midnight.

“Conquering the gate must not have been easy, everyone must have truly worked hard. I hope this experience has been helpful for you. Now, those who need to return, go back, and those who need rest, rest comfortably.”

Grandfather issued the dispersal order to the people gathered in front of the artificial gate.

Only then did the people breathe a sigh of relief.

Soon, showing signs of exhaustion, they greeted Grandfather and slowly left one by one.

“Stay here with Sieun and Gyungwoo. Let’s report right away. It’s best to receive gifts promptly.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“If there’s anyone among you who wants to come along, feel free to do so. However, you cannot enter the report room.”

“….”

Grandfather took the first step.

Remaining in place, Dahee and Dosieun quickly followed behind him.

Then, some people quietly followed us, curious about what treasure we would choose.

Naturally, there were family members as well.

“Well done. I watched from the cliff, didn’t see anything to criticize. It seems the Wall Thunder can now be properly utilized.”

“Oh, Father.”

“But how come you didn’t take any fruits?”

Father, resting his chin on my shoulder.

While praising my skills, Father seemed curious about my knowledge of the fruits growing in the gate.

I decided to vaguely respond.

“I’ve read about them before. They looked similar to what I saw in the book, so I thought they might be the same. I was lucky.”

“As long as you know what you’re eating, it’s fine. Still, be cautious when eating without emotions. Among the flora and fauna self-grown in the gate, there are cases where things look similar but are entirely different.”

Father cautioned gently.

Knowing Father’s concerns, I decided to pretend to accept his advice, despite having emotional abilities.

“Yes, I’ll be careful from now on….”

As I was about to agree….

“‘I thought they might be the same’?”

“….”

Mother was smiling softly.

I lost my words to continue.

“So you had to eat it to confirm?”

“Um, Mom….”

Father discreetly stepped back.

My mother came close to me and tightly grasped my shoulders.

No, she was pinching me hard.

The voice coming from behind was sharp and relentless.

“Did you have stomach issues from eating something wrong, or did you think you could handle poison?”

“Pakkit Ape seemed fine eating, so I thought there wouldn’t be any poison…”

“Answer me.”

“…I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“You should eat cautiously, right?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, there were people around, so my mother didn’t scold me loudly.

I could breathe a sigh of relief when my mother let go of my shoulders.

Then, I felt someone’s gaze.

Doh Si-eun had a curious expression on her face as she looked at me.

“Why are you like that?”

“Because it seems like you get along well with your family.”

“Isn’t it the same with your sister?”

“We… are… probably just ordinary, I guess.”

Maybe because we had collapsed the fruit tree together.

Unlike before when she was quiet, she now sporadically engaged in conversation with me.

It was at that moment.

“I want to eat fruit too!”

Yeeun suddenly chimed in, hugging me from behind.

“Oppa, are there any fruits left? I want to try them too…”

Yeeun’s eyes sparkled brightly.

Yeeun clung to me, begging.

‘Just as I expected…’

I let out a bitter smile.

Luckily, I had one fruit of vigor left, saved for the fight with the leader.

“Here, take this. I saved it for you.”

“Wow! You’re the best, Oppa!”

I took out the fruit from my waist bag and handed it to Yeeun.

Yeeun’s face lit up with joy.

“It’s sticky but super sweet!”

“Do you want to try the fruit of vigor too?”

“Huh? Are you giving it to me? Thank you, Unni!”

Yeeun eating the fruit looked both adorable and heartwarming.

Doh Si-eun, who was walking alongside me, also took out a fruit from her waist bag.

Thanks to her, Yeeun could taste the fruit of vigor as well.

Before long, just a little while passed.

We arrived at the vault.

◈

The vault, located at the deepest level of the main building, was protected by layers of overlapping barrier magic, solid as a fortress.

Just from what I could perceive, not to mention what went unnoticed, the security level was formidable.

“Most of the treasures kept in the main house are related to the history of the Divine Sword Guild and symbolize the family. As it is such an important place, not many besides the head of the family have accessed the vault throughout history.”

“…”

“Now you’ve become part of that select few.”

With those words, Grandfather channeled mana into the iron door, then placed his hand on the lion-shaped door knocker.

He then pushed the knocker left and right.

“…It was a sliding door.”

The vault’s mechanism activated.

Two iron doors creaked as they slid open left and right.

Soon, a breeze swept in from inside.

“The mana is dense.”

A wind imbued with mana.

It was the energy emanating from the treasures stored in the vault.

I tried to peer beyond the iron door, sensing the thick mana.

Inside was empty.

“An concealment spell prevents you from looking in from the outside. If you want to confirm, you’ll have to go inside.”

Grandfather clarified.

Then, he rummaged through his belongings.

“Si-eun, Gyun-woo.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Wear this as you enter. It will signal to the vault that you are approved individuals.”

A necklace engraved with the family crest.

Cityeun and I put on the necklaces handed to us by Grandfather.

“Can we go in now?”

“Yes, we’ll wait here. Choose one treasure inside and come out.”

“Can we really pick anything?”

It was a given, but ownership of the treasures bestowed by the family was not entirely mine.

Excluding items like elixirs or consumables, the treasures were considered lent by the family.

However, Grandfather offering treasures kept at the main house was quite radical.

As Grandfather mentioned earlier, the vault was likely filled with treasures symbolizing the family.

“In the game, there was mention of a sword that could kill an opponent in one strike from the Divine Sword Guild’s treasures…”

If so, I might be able to acquire the legendary item mentioned in the game settings.

I asked my grandfather again to confirm.

And then my grandfather said,

“Officially speaking, once a word is spoken from the giver, it cannot be taken back. You can bring out anything you desire from the vault.”

“Oh.”

“However.”

My grandfather’s gaze was fixed on me.

“I hope you choose the treasure that is most essential to you. Although I doubt you would do otherwise, if you were to select a treasure that doesn’t match your level, I might end up disappointed in you.”

“….”

“I hope you choose wisely.”

In truth, I didn’t expect much.

I knew my grandfather wouldn’t just hand over such a treasure to us.

Without being greedy, I decided to choose a treasure I had marked beforehand.

“By the way, the security magic inside will inspect the treasure you take out. So, do not even think about sneaking out any treasure other than the ones I’ve permitted.”

“….”

Well, I had a slight hope, but as expected.

Sadly, it seemed I would have to abandon the idea of taking out a treasure secretly.

I avoided my grandfather’s penetrating gaze as if he could see through my thoughts.

“Well then, take your time inside and carefully examine everything.”

* * *

The moment we set foot inside the vault,

the security magic that had concealed its presence surged.

But thanks to the necklace’s effect, the security magic scanned our bodies and then vanished as if to say, “When did this happen?”

It had granted us access.

After a few steps from there.

“Oh, there it is.”

The vault, which had been hidden by concealment magic, revealed itself.

“….”

“Oh….”

Despite the space, the number of treasures stored inside wasn’t vast.

Yet, each visible treasure exuded such grandeur that the sense of emptiness didn’t even cross our minds.

Captivated by the extraordinary aura emanating from the treasures, I felt entranced by something.

Seeming to share a similar sentiment, Doeun let out a sigh of admiration.

“Shall we take a closer look?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

We couldn’t afford to remain lost in awe.

Gathering our wits, we decided to explore the vault.

Quietly following behind me, Doeun marveled at the treasures.

“The Thunder Essence is also here.”

[Thunder Essence]

◆ Consumable Classification

―Elixir

◆ Detailed Description

―Concentrated inner energy of Thunder Spirit.

◆ Detailed Effects

―Upon absorption, all attacks consuming internal mana are converted to lightning attribute.

―Upon absorption, the character’s affinity attribute changes to lightning attribute.

―Upon absorption, gains extraordinary resistance to lightning attribute attacks. Additionally, converts the absorbed attacks into Mp.

―Upon absorption, lightning…

The Thunder Essence, rare even in the game.

I averted my gaze from the bead that seemed to contain lightning.

“It’s not that I don’t want it, but… I don’t really need it.”

Now that I can use the Thunderbolt, the effects of the Thunder Essence didn’t appeal to me.

Moreover, although it was difficult to obtain, the Thunder Essence was not entirely unattainable.

If I ever needed the Thunder Essence, I could think about it then.

“It’s unpredictable when I’ll receive another report from the main house, and I can’t choose treasures that can be found elsewhere.”

According to the game’s story, I was supposed to receive the report again.

Considering that, twice.

Therefore, as my grandfather advised, it was wiser to choose something only obtainable from the main house.

For example, a sword.

“Oh, the gate key is over there. Probably the gate key that the strong star receives in the game, right? Hmm… Blue wasn’t even available in the game.”

Passing by where the gate key was placed,

I ventured further inside.

Then, I found the swords.

“…”

Swords hanging on the wall.

I carefully examined the appearance of each sword from a distance.

“There’s even the Sword of Soowang.”

The Suwang Sword, representing the qualifications of the head of the Divine Sword Guild, hung in the center of the wall.

“Ah.”

Soon, a sword caught my eye.

[Su-yeon Sword (Water Smoke Sword)]

◆ Equipment Classification

―One-handed sword

◆ Detailed Description

―One of the swords favored by the 2nd head of the Divine Sword Guild, Domingeon.

―Born anew in the protection of the water spirit king Undine on the Red Gate Island ‘V’, shedding its old appearance and taking on a new form.

―Tests its owner.

◆ Detailed Effects

―+3 Stamina, +3 Strength

―When worn, consumes internal mana to create water droplets.

―(Unlock condition: Strength 50 or higher)

The Su-yeon Sword, filled with the meaning of dense water vapor, symbolizes the misty fog of water droplets.

It was a sword that also appeared in the game.

“It’s the sword symbolizing Sister Si-eun.”

I gazed at the sword that seemed to ripple like water vapor and let out a bitter smile.

Seeing that Si-eun had the Su-yeon Sword since her appearance in the game, I couldn’t help but think she must have obtained it around that time.

Deciding to call out to her, I spoke as I looked at the sword on one side.

“Si-eun, would you like to come over here?”

“Yeah, why?”

“What do you think of this sword?”

“Oh….”

I pointed to the Su-yeon Sword.

As Si-eun noticed the sword, she let out a gasp.

Unaware of my presence, she gazed at the Su-yeon Sword intently.

“They say you can instinctively recognize the martial art that suits you best at a glance. Is she communicating with the sword?”

Si-eun seemed oblivious, but from the moment she saw the Su-yeon Sword, she couldn’t close her mouth.

Her blue eyes were wide open.

I carefully chose my words while observing her reaction.

“Doesn’t it seem like a really good sword? It converts internal mana into water droplets, so it should go well with your Thunder Raiment.”

“…Yeah.”

In reality, in the game, Dosi-eun had indeed used the power of the Water Sword to greatly amplify the Thunder Raiment.

The Thunder Raiment and the sword had good compatibility.

At that moment, she turned to me.

“Will you… choose this sword?”

A trembling voice.

And eyes that were wavering in blue.

Dosi-eun might not have noticed, but I could see the anxiety on her face.

To the extent that she clearly wanted the Water Sword.

Seeing her face, one I had never seen in the game, made my heart race.

“Honestly, if someone uses the Water King’s techniques, wouldn’t this sword be worth coveting?”

“Ah… true…”

“But I don’t think it suits me.”

“Huh?”

“Unlike my sister, I don’t have that much internal mana. So, I don’t think I’ll handle the Water Sword well.”

It was my honest sentiment.

The Water Sword was indeed a good sword, but it felt burdensome for me to use.

With my magic level slightly over 30, a combat style that consumed a lot of mana didn’t suit me at all.

Above all,

‘I can’t take away this sister’s fate.’

That was the main reason.

If it was a fate that the antagonist would obtain, it would be different, but I didn’t want to take the fate of those who would stand on the side of righteousness with the Strong Star.

Just in case I mistakenly affected the game’s story by devouring their fates.

“I actually think the Water Sword suits you better, sister. What do you think?”

“…Okay. No, great. Really great.”

So, I decided to give the Water Sword to Dosi-eun.

She couldn’t pull herself together.

Her stumbling words, not befitting the name “Lightning Flower,” were quite amusing.

Soon enough, she smiled so brightly it seemed dazzling.

“Thank you so much.”

“If you’re thankful, take good care of me.”

“How would I take care of you?”

“Whether in the Academy City you’ll go to in a few years from the family, or anywhere else, if I ask for help, you help me.”

“Oh, sure. If I ever need help, I’ll let you know. I’ll help as much as I can, as long as it’s nothing bad.”

“Really? Is that a promise?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t even realize she was smiling.

Cityeun could not hide her joy as she held the Suyeon Sword in both arms.

“But what about you? If you’re also searching for a sword… I’ll help you find it.”

“Thank you, but there’s no need for that.”

I refused Cityeun’s consideration.

Then, I took a few more steps away from the wall where the Suyeon Sword was hung.

“I’ve already found mine.”

“…Really?”

If Cityeun had a sword symbolizing her, there was a sword that held even more significance to Dogyunwoo than her.

The sword symbolizing Dogyunwoo… no, symbolizing me.

Finally, I raised the corners of my mouth, gazing at that sword.

“With this sword.”

“That’s…?”

A sword with a single edge.

A plain black sword, devoid of any ornamentation, symbolizing me.

I took the sword off the wall and tilted it under the light.

“Definitely.”

A sword scattering a bluish light depending on the angle one looked at it from.

It was the Gunchung Sword.